The powerful earthquake that hit north-western Laos on Wednesday (May 16) damaged houses, temples and schools in Bokeo province.
Tremors damaged several multi-storey houses, four temples, two stupas and two schools in the districts of Paktha and Houayxay, according to the chief of the disaster office, Khamthone Phanthanith.
But the Vientiane Meteorology and Hydrology Department was unable to provide further information on the earthquake in northern Laos on Wednesday, as Laos has no seismometer to measure the strength of an earthquake.
"We could not determine the measurement on the Richter scale. By coincidence, our department director has just gone to China for a signing ceremony in Beijing.
The Chinese government is going to help us build two earthquake-measuring stations," said an official from the department, Sithongma Phomthaphalisith.
"On this occasion we had to learn from a website that the quake measured 6.1 on the Richter scale," Sithongma said.
"I think the BBC website got its information reported in Vientiane Times yesterday from Thailand," Sithongma said. "Thailand has several seismometers around the country, so they would have immediate information."
He said that 6.1 on the Richter scale was quite high, and that tremors were felt in various neighbouring provinces.
"Next month, we will receive two seismometers from the Chinese government, to be located in Luang Prabang province and in the Khamkeud district of Borikhamxay province," Sithongma said.
The machines will alert officials to an impending earthquake, and will also calculate its intensity. Sithongma said there had been many small earthquakes in Laos over the years, but without seismometers the department could not measure them, he said.
"We got information from people in the Mekong River Commission, Don Chan Palace and the Vientiane Commercial Bank in Vientiane, who all reported these buildings had shaken quite a bit, especially on the top floors," he said.
The Director of the Oudomxay Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Mrs Somchanh Phongsavat, told Vientiane Times by telephone yesterday "a person from the provincial office telephoned our department to say that while a meeting was in progress on the third floor, they had to run outside because the building started to shake".
"Altogether the quake lasted about 10 minutes, and some places here experienced three aftershocks," she said.
Most provinces around the country were unaware of the earthquake, according to information obtained from the meteorology departments in Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Champassak provinces.
So far, there have been no other reports of damage or injuries, and authorities are evaluating the cost of the damage in Bokeo.
Thanks Samakomlao for passing on these weaknesses on the earthquake. What about casualties ? Come on, wake up Lao officials, before it is too late; work over time and claim your overtime pay. This is how westerners do.
